Raise It Up
by Just Another Hell Raiser
Summary: Ciel is distracted, but luckily Sebastian is always there to catch him when he falls.


**So, I was in a brooding mood, listening to Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence and the Machine, and...this just kinda happened. I'm not entirely happy with it, but I figured I should post it in case someone found some sort of value in it. BUT, even if you don't like them, look up Rabbit Heart by Florence and the Machine, it's the PERFECT Sebby/Ciel song.**

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><p><em>This is a gift,<em>

_It comes with a price;_

_Who is the lamb_

_And who is the knife?_

_That Midas is King_

_And he holds me so tight_

_And turns me to gold_

_In the sunlight._

It was raining buckets today.

The gloomy London streets were crowded with raindrops and empty stagecoaches, their owners having taken shelter from the biting wind and stinging liquid bullets.

From a shadowed side-ally that seemed somehow even colder than the main city streets, two figures emerged. The first was small and petit, even from a distance, with a powerful stance for one so fragile in appearance. Trailing behind the first figure was a very tall man, built like a great lion or panther ready to spring. This one seemed to glide silently down the drenched London street as if he were the boy's shadow. The tiny one was dressed in the unremarkable, shabby rags you'd expect to see in this part of city, the tall one was clad in all black, and both were soaked to the skin and appeared entirely unbothered.

Ciel Phantomhive had a lot on his mind. The queen wanted some petty drug dealer taken care of, and of course the rat just had to have a mob at his feet. With so many hands to cover the man's tracks, it had taken longer than usual to pin down a location. Or, for _Sebastian_ to pin one down.

Sebastian had been his most powerful pawn for over three years now. For the amount of action and excitement they'd experienced, it still hadn't seemed nearly that long.

When Ciel had been ten years old, he had made a deal with the devil. He would use this black demon to slaughter his parents' murderers, and as payment, the demon would find his next meal in the small boy.

Both had been more than eager to form the contract. As far as Ciel could tell, Sebastian genuinely enjoyed the duties that came along with the title of Butler, and did not resent the master who pulled his strings. And Ciel held no reservations regarding his soul; he was only battling through day after dismal day to find the people who'd ruined him, and ruin _them_ as payment. As soon as this was accomplished, he'd embrace the nothingness Sebastian offered with open arms.

Both had found comfort in the solidity of the contract they'd formed, and they trusted in each other to uphold their respective ends of the bargain. It had been simple, easy symbiosis.

At first.

Ciel had long been aware of the changes in atmosphere, the thick anticipation polluting the air like smoke when they were in a room together for too long. In the beginning, Ciel had dismissed this as simple misgivings – a vague term effectively used for thoughts Ciel had no desire to flesh out further – but about a month ago he'd noticed glances, touches, small kindnesses that seemed to contradict Sebastian's personality, and yet were genuine.

Ciel would have thought the he and Sebastian's personalities would be incompatible for any relationship beyond strict business – he'd been shocked at how easy the transition had been, and it had left his mind silently reeling that perhaps nothing was definite, nothing was black and white.

As interweaving hands became crashing mouths and dancing tongues, Ciel's world had tilted. This – affair had not been anticipated. It scattered the pieces across that neat black-and-white board, pawns and knights and kings colliding and all tumbling down, down, down, at the foot of an empty throne. Ciel had no idea what to do and it terrified him – not that he would ever admit it, especially to himself.

"Young master?"

Besides, he needed to focus on more important matters right now.

Ciel turned to meet Sebastian's gaze, blinking the rain from his blue eye. "How long have we been walking?"

"A good while, sir." Sebastian cocked his head in silent question, light concern shining from his blood-red eyes. "You seem very distracted, Ciel."

For one so uptight about aesthetics, Sebastian had been quick to begin addressing Ciel by his name after perhaps the third kiss. It comforted him, and disturbed him to an equal degree, that Sebastian was able to blend two so opposite relationships into a single dialogue so seamlessly.

"I'm fine, Sebastian. How much farther?"

"Not long, sir. A block more, perhaps. Do you wish to stop and rest a moment?"

The storm in his head was fiercer than the one outside of it, and Ciel muttered a "yes" before turning into another secluded ally way. He met Sebastian's eyes as he slid down the soaked grey wall to the equally soaked, equally grey ground beneath him. Sebastian's face displayed a certain playfulness, but his crimson eyes held the darkness of solemnity as he kneeled beside the boy.

"What troubles you, Ciel?"

"Nothing troubles me. I'm resting. That's all."

Sebastian grinned. "I must insist that I be informed of this particular inner struggle of yours, young master. It is distracting you a great degree, and to be frank, you are a burden at the best of times in hazardous situations."

Ciel scowled at him, receiving that trademark phony Cheshire grim in return. "I am not distracted." Sebastian's eyes glinted with mirth.

"For how long have we been walking, Ciel?"

"Tch. An hour or two. Why are you asking me such a stupid question?"

The grin morphed into something more mischievous – not a hugely attractive expression for a demon. "Because, my dear lord Ciel, we have been walking for well over four hours, at this point." He leaned in close, and whispered so quietly that Ciel had to strain to hear him over the pounding rain. "What could have my unshakable young master so agitated?"

The voice was teasing and light, but the eyes were not. Ciel met them with his own single blue one, and felt his resolve crumble just the _slightest_ bit. He looked up over Sebastian's shoulder, staring at the gray wall behind him.

"I'm not agitated, Sebastian. Let it lie."

Sebastian smirked, perhaps at the irony of Ciel's choice of words. Then he took a deep breath, and abandoned all his masks, his face serious and eyes glowing with sincerity.

"I will not leave you, Ciel. You are…more than your end of the bargain, to me."

"Tch." Ciel scowled, heart fluttering as he rose to his feet. Sebastian followed.

"Don't know why you'd even bring up –"

He was cut off when a mouth covered his own, and he released a tiny squeak of surprise before composing himself, eyes fluttering closed. Sebastian's frigid, wet hands wrapped around his frigid, wet waist, pushing his backwards against the gray wall, and Ciel's small, frigid, wet hands reached up to tangle in his black, frigid, wet hair, pulling him down further and closer. At some time their tongues had begun to dance fiercely with one another. For minutes they battled, and the kiss wasn't really about enjoying it for either of them anymore. Ciel did not want to submit to Sebastian. His grand strategy, his purpose was in shambles because of this demon – what was left of his heart would _not_ fall victim too.

Both had their eyes open now, and they stared at each other with their lips still locked in battle. Ciel's deep blue eye was vicious and angry and wet with something that _had_ to be rain. Sebastian's crimson eyes were soft and gentler than they'd ever been before, and his hands grabbed the backs of Ciel's legs, lifting him up and effectively pinning him between Sebastian's firm, deadly body and the gray, gray wall behind him. Sebastian's hands slid up to his waist, wrapping both his arms around him and Ciel felt warm, despite the aching, bone-deep chill from the storm closing in on them. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears mingling seamlessly with the rain on his cheeks, and surrendered to the demon and surrendered to the gray. _Just for a moment._ And just for a moment, they were kissing in the rain.

When they finally pulled away, Ciel's eye was red and regaining its coldness and control. Sebastian's were red and gentle, and his smirk was smug and teasing.

"Is my young master relieved of his distraction now?"

"Tch." _Yes, I suppose so._ Ciel pushed at Sebastian's chest, creating a large enough gap to allow his body to slide back to the soaked ground. Even if Ciel's flavor still meant more to Sebastian than Ciel's affections, he couldn't really regret not reciprocating these priorities. "We've wasted enough time resting. We have a job to do."

Sebastian grinned widely. "Yes, my lord."

Ciel led the way through the roaring rain out of the black ally and back into Gray London, off to kill yet another petty enemy.


End file.
